preface
In recent years, zhengzhou has more and more art spaces, art exhibitions have become increasingly active, from tens of square meters of exquisite galleries, to thousands of square meters of official exhibition halls, from traditional calligraphy and painting to contemporary installations, a variety of art spaces and exhibitions have enriched the cultural life of citizens and added colorful colors to the city. The important role in promoting these spatial exhibitions, the curators, seems to have not yet received public attention. This important role in determining the characteristics of the space and the effect of the exhibition, integrating their own thinking and concepts into the exhibition and dedicating themselves to the audience, to a certain extent, they are leading the new trend of urban art life. To this end, this newspaper has specially opened a series of interviews with "curators of this city" to let the public know more about the few art workers in this city and understand the artistic life around them.
Reporter: Please briefly introduce yourself?
Feng Qian: My name is Feng Qian, I am the director of the planning and exhibition department of Zhengzhou Art Museum, and I am mainly responsible for the business work of exhibitions.
Reporter: What exhibitions have you done before?
Feng Qian: I came to work at the Zhengzhou Art Museum in 2013. Over the years, I have planned and participated in the implementation of about 30 or 40 exhibitions of various kinds, which are basically regular art exhibitions. Among them, the more high degree of participation are "Painting Sound, Painting Color- Entering the World of Picture Books Zhengzhou Art Museum 2013 June 1st International Children's Day Series Exhibition Activities", "Terroir Central Plains • Great Beauty And Children's Heart' Henan Excellent Folk Art Inheritance Works Exhibition Series Activities", "Zhongyuan HanFeng - Zhengzhou Art Museum Collection han dynasty portrait brick fine exhibition", "Ancient humble and majestic - Zhengzhou Art Museum Collection han dynasty portrait brick rubbing art exhibition", "local central plains oil painting masterpieces exhibition" "Collection of treasures - Zhengzhou art museum collection of the original Tuo ying exhibition"" Jumei Zhongyuan - Zhengzhou Art Museum New Museum "Prosperous Yellow River - Zhengzhou Art Museum Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China Yellow River Culture and Art Special Invitation Exhibition". Some of these exhibitions have been selected for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's "National Art Museum Collection Exhibition Season", and some have been nominated for the "National Arts Fund Exchange Funding Promotion Project" and the "Ministry of Culture's Annual National Art Museum Excellent Exhibition Project".
Feng Qian
Reporter: Which exhibition impressed you the most?
Feng Qian: What impressed me the most was the 2013 Zhengzhou Art Museum's "'Painting Sound, Color Painting - Into the World of Picture Books' Zhengzhou Art Museum's 2013 June 1st International Children's Day Series Exhibition Activities" sponsored by Zhengzhou Art Museum. This is the first exhibition I created after I joined the Zhengzhou Art Museum, and it is also the first exhibition project I participated in planning in my life.
At that time, exhibitions with the theme of picture books were rare in the country, and it was the first time in Henan. For a long time, public art museums at the grassroots level have been accustomed to the exhibition of mainstream art works, or the "pure art works" in the traditional perception of the public. I have doubts about whether exhibitions of fine art works in the non-standard sense such as picture books can be recognized.
"Painted Voice • Painted Color - Original Paintings of Picture Book Painters Exhibition" scene
But at that time, I had just intervened in the exhibition work of the art museum, and I was still a layman, and the considerations were not so complicated, and I could only start from my heart. On the one hand, I like picture books very much and feel that the public should not reject them; on the other hand, through deep understanding, I think that "picture books" perfectly integrate the artistry, practicality and education of paintings, and compared with other "pure art" works, picture book works have a more direct educational appreciation and aesthetic sensory resonance for the public, and have a very positive effect on children's art education and mental cultivation.
Finally, the leader made a decision, "Since it is beneficial, we will do it." In the layout of the exhibits, we did not arrange according to the previous "one-line" arrangement, but arranged into geometric shapes according to the size of the works, bringing the audience a novel viewing experience. In the end, the exhibition was accepted and recognized by the public. Although it is only a 10-day exhibition period, nearly 10,000 people come to visit the exhibition, and a wave of learning and reviewing "picture books" has also been set off in the region.
"Terroir Central Plains • Great Beauty And Children's Heart" project series of on-site activities
Reporter: What exhibition have you been doing recently?
Feng Qian: The exhibition I was in charge of recently was "Dahe Imagery - Joint Exhibition of Outstanding Works of the National Alliance of Painting Academies along the Capital Cities of Huangjiu Province (Season II)", which was organized by the Zhengzhou Art Museum and specially invited the National Academy of Painting of China as an academic guide, and was a large-scale joint exhibition of fine art works jointly carried out by Xining Painting Academy, Chengdu Painting Academy, Lanzhou Painting Academy, Yinchuan Calligraphy and Painting Academy, Hohhot Calligraphy and Painting Academy, Xi'an Chinese Painting Academy, Taiyuan Painting Academy, Zhengzhou Painting Academy, and Jinan Painting Academy.
Reporter: What is the basic ideological vein of your curation, how to select artists, how to present artworks?
Feng Qian: What kind of exhibition should I plan? That's what I've been thinking about. There is a saying circulating in the circle: "A good exhibition is applauded by the audience and nodded by experts." "I agree, but in practice I often encounter problems that are difficult to adjust. Because many times, the concerns of the public and experts (artists) are contradictory or even opposing to the inner needs, it is not easy to achieve balance, and often face trade-offs.
Today's art exhibitions, whether academic or commercial, seem to treat industry professionals as the most important audience. In terms of planning and implementation, many people pay more attention to academic thresholds and industry status, like to maintain the psychological superiority of professionals, do not regard the general public as equal communication objects, and rarely consider the needs of the majority of non-professionals. I believe that the exhibition's emphasis on scholarship is necessary, but it cannot be a self-amusement for a small range of people.
Dahe Imagery - Group Exhibition of Outstanding Works of the National Alliance of Painting Academies along the Capital City of Huangjiu Province (Season 2)
As a public cultural institution, the state-owned art museum aims to educate the whole people. Its clients are universal at every level of society. The art museum can set educational activities for audiences of different ages according to the age standard, or it can meet the needs of audiences with different work backgrounds based on occupation, and can also design corresponding forms of education according to the public's life orientation. The education provided by the museum should be pluralistic, liberal, democratic and comprehensive social education. As a staff member of a public art museum, my curatorial approach should be based on this.
Regarding the choice of artists, I am accustomed to looking at the works first and then looking at people, first looking at kung fu, diligence, thought, personality, whether there is a representative of the times, and finally looking at social identity and existing influence, trying to avoid wearing "colored glasses" to observe artists, and trying to maintain a fair heart of art. On the other hand, I also pay attention to the discovery of local artists, especially those who are strong but not so prominent. It is said that "foreign monks are good at chanting the sutra", in fact, our local monks also read it very well, and there are many people who can read it, but many monks who chant the sutra well have little chance to come out and read it.
As a national central city and comprehensive transportation hub, Zhengzhou has attracted a large number of outstanding artists. In terms of artistic talents, we have both the advantages of historical tradition and the convergence of contemporary fresh blood. The comprehensive strength of our local artists is not weak at all, but compared with developed cities and regions, the display stage we can provide for artists is still relatively limited, so that they are in a relatively buried state. With enough opportunities, I believe they can shine even more brilliantly.
Interior view of the new zhengzhou art museum
I'm more concerned with how to choose art than how to present it. As long as the artwork is appropriate, the presentation is in line with the trend. The presentation of artworks should pay attention to appropriateness and degree. Truly good works of art do not need to resort to "excessive presentation", just as high-end ingredients are not suitable for excessive seasoning.
Reporter: When you plan and launch these exhibitions, you often have contact with artists. How do you think artists have changed their thinking over the years?
Feng Qian: In contrast, artists within the system are still more conservative, and artists outside the system are more active in their thinking, more receptive to new things and new forms, and more willing to make different changes. But on the whole, the concepts of artists are constantly updated, especially the younger generation, the quality requirements for participating in the exhibition are getting higher and higher, the selectivity and appeal are getting stronger and stronger, and the paths and ways to seek to show themselves are becoming more and more abundant, no longer limited to traditional art museum exhibitions.
Prosperous Yellow River - Zhengzhou Art Museum Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China Yellow River Culture and Art Special Invitation Exhibition
Reporter: What are the art exhibitions you have seen in other cities that make you feel the most, and why?
Feng Qian: I was very shocked by the "Super Fusion - 2021 Chengdu Biennale" I saw in Chengdu in 2021. The event was planned by Fan Di'an, chairman of the China Artists Association and president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, as the chief curator, and The famous art historian Lü Peng as the director of the academic committee, jointly planned with 18 joint curators and 1 academic committee. The exhibition consists of 8 theme exhibition sections, 1 international art museum curators' summit and 17 parallel exhibition sections, and invites 272 artists from home and abroad to participate, covering 35 countries and regions around the world.
Chengdu and Zhengzhou are both new first-tier cities, and many people like to compare the two. But through this exhibition, I deeply feel that there is still a certain gap in Zhengzhou in terms of art exhibitions. This gap is not in the historical background, not in economic strength. Also as an inland city and a famous cultural and historical city, and in this post-epidemic era, Chengdu has the courage and ability to hold an art biennale of such a large scale and so high academics, and this gap cannot but make us reflect.
Super Integration - Chengdu Biennale 2021
Reporter: What kind of changes do you think the relationship between art works, art exhibitions and visitors is changing, and is there more room for the public to actively participate?
Feng Qian: The current exhibition is becoming more and more "pleasing" to the audience in terms of form, and the exhibition setting and visual design are becoming more and more exquisite, which I think is a kind of progress.
For example, the new museum of Zhengzhou Art Museum has received nearly 700,000 visitors since its opening in October 2020. The reason for this, I think, is the attraction of the exhibition on the one hand, and the internal needs of the public self on the other hand.
Is there more room for the public to actively participate? I'm not too good to say. After all, the planning concept, targeting the group, elaborating angle, and organizational form of each exhibition are different. But as far as our public art museum is concerned, the audience's initiative to watch the exhibition has been greatly improved, while the interactive initiative has not changed much. The vast majority of the audience does not have the initiative to communicate and appreciate works of art, there is a serious dependence on psychology, always want to listen to what others say, do not want to and dare not to understand, to judge, do not believe in their own hearts and senses, and take the initiative to put themselves in a psychologically weak position. This may have something to do with the artist-based nature of many of the exhibitions. Many exhibitions do not care about and guide the public enough, and there is still a lot of homework to be done.
Interior view of the new zhengzhou art museum
Reporter: Where is the value of high-quality art exhibitions to the city, and what kind of art exhibitions does Zhengzhou need in this city?
Feng Qian: High-quality art exhibitions are like catalysts, which can enrich the cultural and artistic vision of citizens, enhance the public's artistic aesthetic taste, lead the cultural atmosphere of a city, promote the cultural cohesion of the city itself, and enhance the cultural image of a city.
Zhengzhou is a famous historical and cultural city, but also a modern city. Any exhibition has its own appealers. We not only need excellent exhibitions of traditional art to enhance everyone's cultural self-confidence and cultural belonging, but also more international, modern, and even experimental and controversial exhibitions, which are in line with the world and synchronized with the times.
Exterior view of the new zhengzhou art museum
Of course, Zhengzhou now also has a lot of contemporary "alternative" novel exhibitions, but they are concentrated in some private venues and clubs, although there are some thoughtful and in-depth excellent exhibitions, but on the whole, they can only make a small fuss and influence the minority. In contrast, the more avant-garde contemporary art exhibitions are almost insulated in public art venues in Zhengzhou and even Henan. This will result in a single artistic vision and lack of awareness for the entire public.
We should not be afraid and reject strange things, as the saying goes, "it is not strange to see the strange, the strange is self-defeating", we should have such self-confidence and heart.
Reporter: Some insiders have put forward the concepts of "new urban aesthetics" and "new aesthetic cities", what are the gaps in Zhengzhou's art exhibitions in the same first-tier cities in this direction, and how to narrow these gaps?
Feng Qian: Whether it is a "new urban aesthetics" or a "new aesthetic city", it reflects a vision and expectation of urban development. Just as people love beauty, we all expect the cities we live in to become more beautiful. Whether a city is beautiful or not depends not only on how many parks have been built, how many high-end entertainment venues have been built, how many art galleries, and how many famous activities are carried out every year, but also on economic strength, management level, cultural confidence, enlightenment, and urban atmosphere. To tell the truth, compared with the truly excellent art exhibitions in first-tier cities, there is still a gap in terms of richness of subject matter, content era, academic research, professional purity, openness and inclusiveness, and funding guarantee. These gaps cannot be narrowed by a single profession, a certain venue, or a certain activity, it requires the entire Zhengzhou to work together.
Exterior view of Zhengzhou Art Museum
Reporter: Nowadays, art is moving towards the community through sinking, and through science and technology to a new immersive experience, the boundaries of art museums are constantly being broken, and the integration of art and the business world is becoming more and more "intimate". What are your expectations for future art exhibitions?
Feng Gan: The boundaries of art museums are constantly being broken, and the integration of art and the commercial world is becoming more and more "intimate", which I think is a kind of progress. As a product of the times, art museums must conform to the tide of the development of the times. But there are some core essences to be adhered to. Compared with the future artistic presentation, I am more concerned about whether I can do a good job of the current artistic presentation. Only by inheriting traditions and focusing on the present can we look to the future.
Reporter: For curating, talk about your own concerns and feelings.
Feng Qian: The most I pay attention to is, what can I do? What should I do? What can I take advantage of? What should I take advantage of? Although I am in charge of exhibition work in the art museum, I am not a curator, at least I don't think I am. At present, the identity of domestic curators has become very popular, and it can be called "curators" if you hold an exhibition, but I do not recognize this unserious curator identity.
Zhengzhou Art Museum collection of the original Tuoyu Ying exhibition
In fact, curating is a very professional thing, and with the continuous deepening of the localization process of contemporary art, social countermeasures exhibitors have also put forward higher requirements. Curators must have a solid foundation of artistic knowledge and profound cultural accomplishment, have a unique vision, be able to select good artists, good works of art, and have the ability to study the cultural environment. In addition, good communication skills and networking resources are also important. At present, the more successful domestic curators are either artistic giants, who can be in high positions and respond to hundreds of responses, or who have high IQ and emotional intelligence, superb knowledge, and rich network resources. These advantages are incomparable to the vast majority of "grassroots curators".
I think curators are like directors, looking for good scripts, good actors, good cameras, and good push teams. These are not too much of a problem in terms of the abilities of the big director, but sometimes the director himself has to take on the role of script and actor. As long as we make our script interesting and find the right actors to make a wonderful interpretation, it is already remarkable. For a public exhibition business personnel like me, my duty is to make good use of the existing cultural and artistic resources, mobilize the local professional artistic force, and organize as diverse exhibition activities as possible on the basis of serving the main theme of cultural construction, broaden the public's artistic vision, and do my best to enliven the cultural charm of Zhengzhou.
END